A Letter to Lyman Moore

Dear Lyman Moore,

I really hope you read this letter from me, (Sadie). It means that you’re keeping up with Newspaper Club’s Through the Falcon’s Eyes and that is highly appreciated!

I wanted to address an issue that is occuring not just at Lyman Moore, but many schools across Maine and the U.S. In the cafeterias at many elementary, middle, and high schools, plastic utensils are given out with lunches. These include forks, knives, spoons, straws, and sporks. To top it off, these plastic utensils are wrapped up in plastic packaging. This is an example of single use plastic, which means that when you’re done using it, you throw it right in the trash. This harms our Earth enormously, and we, the people, have got to do something about it if we want even 40 more years on Earth. May I add a few schools in Maine that are responsible for this wrongdoing:

East End Community School

Presumpscot Elementary School

Longfellow Elementary School

Ocean Avenue Elementary School

King Middle School

Portland High School

Deering High School

Just to give you an idea of how excessive this plastic use is, I’m going to give you some numbers. There are about 510 kids that attend Lyman Moore. Let’s say 75% of these people eat school lunch. There are 180 days in the school year, and, hypothetically, if every day 75% of the school took a plastic package, by the end of the year, about 68,760 plastic utensils would be used (with plastic wrap over them).

Okay, let’s take a look at King Middle School. King has roughly 517 students, and, probably about 75% eat school lunch. 180 days in a school year, and BOOM! About 93,060 plastic wraps and utensils in the trash.

Not to mention the hundreds of other schools across the country. My solution is something that may take stamina, determination and work ethic. Yes, we are out of practice on those things. We are so lazy, we don’t want to raise money for expensive things, or wash all that silverware. No, not the kids. It’s the responsibility of the teachers and adults of this community. Yes, we would sure have to raise a lot of money for 510 pieces of silverware, but we could set up a fundraiser, and the adults say they use a lot of the money the school makes to improve Lyman Moore, so why not use it for something as important as this. Of course, we would need a washing/drying system as well, but we could use the money for that, as well.

Now, I can’t organize this all by myself. Maybe the students of Lyman Moore could vote on a fundraising event, like a bake sale or something. What I’ve been trying to say is, we need to break this decades old habit and get a fresh start. We need to realize that Earth is our only planet, so we need to take care of it. Yes, you. I’m talking to everyone who’s reading this, because you all live here on this beautiful planet. I’m not talking to aliens, you guys. Please, take what I’m saying to heart. Buy a metal straw. Give your old sweatshirt to charity. DON’T TAKE PLASTIC FROM THE CAFETERIA! Thank you.

Your Friend,

Sadie